Investment property

Luxury Living In Laid-Back Lanai

This can"t be Hawaii. There are no T-shirt shops; no crowded restaurants, no time-share hustlers or ABC Stores with mail-ready macadamia nut boxes. The beaches aren"t surrounded by high rise condominiums, either. Just unspoiled sand, two magnificent tropical resorts and a golfer"s virtual playland. But this is Hawaii, in a place called Lanai. Building two world class resorts on an unspoiled Hawaiian island was just the beginning for Los Angeles entrepreneur David Murdock. It wasn"t enough, after buying pineapple grower Dole and the island of Lanai in 1985, to create the Lodge at Koele (in the upland, interior of the island) and the posh Manele Bay Hotel (on the south tip, where the sand meets the Pacific). His vision was to build 775 of the world"s most luxurious residences in the formerly pineappled paradise. You may have heard of this island in the Hawaiian archipelago in 1994, when Bill Gates "took it over" for his wedding to Melinda French on a balmy New Year"s Day. Hollywood types like Michael Douglas, Tom Selleck, and Gene Hackman visit the island for its pristine, but enticing remoteness, not found on other, more tourist oriented islands. Here, the tourist schlock is blissfully missing, fast food is non-existent, and the racks of discount brochures or line-up of tour operators never caught on. What remains are 141 square miles of virgin Hawaiian heaven underfoot. Elevated and overlooking the perfection of Manele Bay and its hotel and resort, and surrounded by a golfer"s dream, the residences at Manele Bay are being lovingly constructed by renowned specialty builder Castle & Cooke, under the direction of the Lanai Company. These homes are simply called - The Terraces. For those considering the purchase of a vacation (or permanent) home in the midst of paradise, these spacious 2 and 3 bedroom homes offer dramatic views of the blue Pacific and the hordes of spinner dolphins frolicking in its depths. The residences range in square footage from 1564 to 3208 square feet. Pricing, when comparing to other resort areas, remains surprisingly reasonable. From $935,000 to $1,950,000, these homes offer uncompromising amenities and unparalleled workmanship by some of the area"s finest craftsmen. The homeowner"s association fee pays for each home"s property and hurricane insurance, landscaping care, building maintenance, pest control, and window cleaning. Buyers may also join the island club and have use of the resort facilities, billed as one of the finest resorts in the world by several travel magazines. Click here to view the Master Plan Layout of the Manele Bay Resort. After catching a shuttle from the lobby of the Manele Bay Hotel, you may stroll the model complex at your leisure and experience the overwhelming feeling of openness, balance and serenity each floorplan exudes (is this what they mean by Feng Shui?) "Standard" features include private entry courtyards, granite kitchen and bathroom countertops, detailed raised panel hardwood cabinetry with intricate built-ins, Sub-zero refrigerators, Thermador ovens, and Halogen, under-cabinet lighting. Not to mention expanses of gleaming hardwood floors and designer carpeting, marble bathrooms, and garden lanai (outdoor) showers, surrounded by custom-designed landscaping. What, you may ask, is an upgrade? Tom Stuck, sales consultant at The Terraces, beams as he describes an array of exotic hardwood upgrades, native Hawaiian stone surfaces available, patio pavilions with retractable shades, and outdoor barbeques and spas. The ceilings are voluminous, and the smooth, natural wood trim on windows and baseboards dares you to glide your hand over its surfaces. The island of Lanai may be reached by a 25-minute plane ride from Honolulu, or a 45-minute ferry ride from popular Maui. Lanai City contains the lion"s share of the 2800 inhabitants of the island. Besides the two resorts, the rest of the 18-mile long island is virtually deserted, giving you room to roam the miles of open grasslands, rare dryland forests, and unpeopled Pacific coastline. Luxury single family homes in a delightfully different setting can be found by taking a 20 minute taxi or rental car ride (if you are a hotel guest, there"s a free shuttle between the resorts) to the resort at Koele. Refreshingly cool, green, and lofty, this Hawaiian refuge defies description. Those who have experienced the unrivaled beauty of Koele, with its towering native pines and manicured grounds, return home feeling they have just visited some corner of utopia. The Villas at Koele vary in size from 1360 to 2660 square feet and are priced from $450,000 to $825,000, with custom homesites also available. Courses designed by golfing legends surround both developments; unfetteringly named The Challenge at Manele (by Jack Nicklaus) and The Experience at Koele (by Greg Norman), these green dominions are described by Gary Campbell, Director of Golf for both courses. "The dramatic Challenge, par 72 course, measures 7039 yards from the back tees. Built on 100 acres of hard, dry sea terrain, it is a "tight and difficult" course". The Experience at Koele, amid towering pines and curious deer is as soft, green, and cool, as Manele is unforgiving. Interested in finding out how to get in on this slice of paradise? You can begin your journey to a Lanai lifestyle by contacting The Lanai Company at (800) 505-2624. And, please, leave the cell phone at home; purposely store away the lap-top until further notice, and leave the stock market behind for now. Just close your eyes and let the warm tropical winds of Lanai beckon you. Aloha.

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